


The Island

by Song of the Rails (DisneyGirl1901)



Series: Dreaming of... [1]
Category: Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: All the OCs - Freeform, Canon Divergent...Ish, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dreams, Gen, Help with Tags?, Original Character(s), Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Trains, Very Slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23859298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyGirl1901/pseuds/Song%20of%20the%20Rails
Summary: "Can I ever forget?"Shaina McKin has always been a girl who never really grew up. She loved hearing stories and telling them. But what happens when she wakes up IN a story, all the way on the other side of the world? And what happens when she finds that she has abilities she never knew she had? First in the "Dreaming Of..." series.
Series: Dreaming of... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/422608
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

_**Prologue** _

The moon shone brightly through the window, settling on a sleeping girl. Her short brown hair settled around her face like a fan, making her look innocent as she slept, but her face was troubled. Her dreams swirled around her mind in a wild mix of words, colors, and sounds. She could see blue, red, green, gold, and brown mixing together, and yet, they never blended. She could hear a hissing sound, alongside whistles and bells. Voices she couldn't recognize whispered words she could barely understand. Throughout it all, she could hear a strangely familiar voice whispering one word: Remember.

All of a sudden, she awoke.

The first thing that she could see was that this room was not her own, and yet, she could walk through it in pitch-black darkness and not fall. Her hazel eyes scanned her surroundings. This wasn't right. Her room didn't have a hammock or a full-length mirror. And she was pretty sure that her room had two doors instead of three. Then, noticing a window, she carefully stood.

With unsteady legs, she walked over to the large window, carefully pushed aside the bright pink curtains, and opened it. The moon illuminated the countryside well. The view outside held many trees and was very beautiful, but that was not what held the girl's attention. What held it was the strips of silver running along the ground. They were in pairs, always together, making their way to a large building just a short walk away. From there, it seemed that they multiplied, creating ten pairs of silver strips where there was only one. Spying a path that lead to the large building, the girl quickly closed the window and ran to get dressed.

Soon, she wore sweatpants and a t-shirt with a pale pink jacket. Carefully, she opened the door to her room. Running down the stairs, she ran her hand along the wall, trying desperately to remember who it was that spoke in her dream. At the bottom of the stairs was the door to the outside world. For a brief moment, the girl hesitated, wondering if this was a good idea. But, eventually, her curiosity won, and she opened the door.

The moon was still shining as bright as before. But, there was a sound traveling on the slight breeze that made itself known as the girl stepped outside. She walked closer to the silver strips. Now that she was closer, she could see that the silver strips were secured to wooden boards. Kneeling, she ran her hand over the strip closest to her. Her hand soon told her that it was cold and smooth as if wheels ran over it every day. She jerked her hand back as a louder sound startled her. Her eyes immediately snapped toward the large building, a shed. Her heart hammered in her chest as she quickly ran down the path.

The girl skidded to a stop as she spied a door at the end. She looked up. This was where the sound came from, to be sure. Now, she could clearly hear the noise that startled her moments ago; whistles. A few of these whistles she remembered hearing in her dream. She gave a small smile. There might just be the chance to solve this mystery once and for all behind this door! Hesitantly, her hand found the doorknob and turned it. Finding the door unlocked, she slipped inside.

It was completely dark inside this shed, and the girl had to leave the door open just to see. Inside were many large, colorful, mechanical objects that she recognized as steam engines. The whistling sound seemed to be coming from these engines, although the girl thought that an engine had to have steam in order to whistle. That's when she heard another sound; talking.

She carefully walked in front of a blue tank engine and looked up at it. And that is when she got the biggest surprise of her life. This engine had a face on it. The girl had never seen this before in her life. Her hands flew to her mouth, desperately hoping not to wake it up. All she could do was stare. She tried to tell herself that the face was just painted on, but this theory was quickly shattered as she saw the eyes flicker behind closed lids. Hours seemed to pass as she looked at this strange engine.

This was too much. The girl turned back to the door and ran. She didn't dare look back; she had seen enough. She stumbled over the rails and ran into a few scattered objects, but her pace didn't slow. As she approached the door, she threw it open, locking it from the inside. Once she was out, she slammed it shut, not caring if anyone heard.

All at once, the girl felt as if every single ounce of energy in her system was drained out of her. Her eyes fixed on the stars as if they could give her answers. She gently let her head fall back against the wooden door she had run out of moments before. Slowly, she sat down, feeling her body slide against the rough wood. She continued to stare at the stars, like diamonds thrown over an inky, black cloth. Finally, she dropped her head into her knees, feeling her tears spilling over. The last thing she remembered was hearing the same voice from her dream whispering to her.

"Songbird, welcome home."


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaina wakes up in a strange new realm...

_"Songbird, welcome home."_

That sentence was the first thing that greeted Shaina McKin as she gradually woke up. She silently laid in bed, puzzling over her dream. It was so real; she could have sworn that she was really there. However, there were other things to wonder about. Even though her eyes were still closed, there wasn't as much light as she usually saw in the morning. She slowly pried her eyes open to discover something incredible.

It was her room. And yet, it wasn't her room. Her mind said this room was hers; however, she didn't recognize it. The walls were painted a sky blue, and the carpets were a dark, grassy green. Wall clings that depicted red flowers and yellow butterflies were set in a tasteful manner, giving the room the feel of a flower garden. A hammock was strung up in the far left corner of the room, and a full-length mirror stood in the far right corner, with a window in between. To the left of the mirror was a small side table, and to the right, a dresser. On the same wall as the dresser was a large bay window with drawers under the window seat. To the left of the hammock was a desk. Well, it looked like a desk, from what she could see. There was a line of shelves in the way.

Shaina's bed was a Queen size with a light pink sheet, two pillows with pillowcases in the same color as the sheet, and a flower-decorated comforter. A homemade Rapunzel blanket was folded up at the end of the bed. There was a nightstand on either side; one holding a lamp with books and her iPad mini, the other holding another lamp with her iPhone and a glasses case. There were three doors, one next to the line of shelves and two on the wall that held her bed, one on each side of it.

Shaina reached for her glasses but stopped when she saw something that made her blood grow cold. She was fully dressed. She had gone to bed in pajamas, but now she was wearing a Disney t-shirt and sweatpants. Then, she saw the pink jacket folded at the end of her bed.

Shaina raced towards the door near the shelves. It opened to a landing with two doors, one of which was her own. There was a small alcove to her right that had beanbags, pillows, and shelves. A quick glance showed her that there were toys and games on the shelves. She blew past them in an effort to get downstairs, creating a loud ruckus that awakened her brother, Joel, though she didn't see.

The downstairs level was spacious with the living room, dining room, and kitchen in the same general area. Shaina came thundering down the stairs just as her parents were leaving their room. Not watching where she was going, the girl almost ran into them, but let them catch her and hold onto her.

"Woah, easy! Calm down!"

As her brother came downstairs, Shaina was gently guided out into the living room, where the family cat, Blacky, was snoozing on the back of the sofa. Her father was the first to speak up.

"Shaina? Are you alright?"

Shaina looked down at her hands, worry projected on her face. Her father knelt in front of her and grasped her hands, startling her out of her worry. "I-I'm not sure. I had the weirdest dream last night..."

"What dream?" Her mother asked, seeing Shaina's distress.

Shaina shook her head slowly. "Colors. Blue, green, red. Voices. Too muffled to make out, but familiar. Sounds. Bells, hissing, and..."

Before Shaina could say anything more, whistles filled the air. She grasped the sides of her head as she remembered. Those whistles were from her dream! Her eyes flew open. "No..." Shaina raced past her family, ignoring their questions. Opening the front door, she stepped onto the front porch and saw it. The sheds - with THOSE engines there.

Shaina was near panicking by this point. She stumbled back inside and slumped onto the couch, disturbing Blacky, who jumped down and made herself comfortable on Shaina's lap instead. Shaina muttered song lyrics under her breath to try and calm her racing heart as Joel sat beside her.

"What on earth?!" Her mother screeched as she looked out the window to see what was going on. "How on-... Why… We're.."

"Yes," Shaina said, still looking a bit out of it. "We're on the Island of Sodor."

"How?" Joel spoke up.

Shaina threw up her hands and started to pace. "Who knows!"

Before she could go into a rant, the family heard a voice outside the house. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

For a moment, the house was quiet before Shaina managed to gather up enough courage to peek her head out the door. There, sparkling in the sunlight, was a long green engine with the number 3 on its tender.

"Hello," the green engine greeted.

"Hello," Shaina replied, still not quite coming out onto the porch.

"Did you just move here? I've never seen you before."

"Yes, in a way."

The green engine, named Henry, as Shaina finally remembered, looked confused and just opened his mouth to ask a question when a deep whistle sounded from somewhere behind him.

"Henry! Don't just sit there dawdling! We have work to do!"

Henry rolled his eyes, muttering, "Bossy boiler… I don't have time to deal with him today…" He smiled to Shaina. "I hope I'll see you later, Miss." And, just like that, he was steaming away with no idea of what kind of catastrophe he left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Shaina's awake, and she's seen exactly where she is. I debated a bit about who I wanted her to officially meet first, but I chose Henry since he's my favorite. :) Also, congrats to the show for their big special debuting today, Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engines!
> 
> One more thing! All chapters are being Beta read by The Broken Mask, who's on FanFiction.net and she's awesome. Take a look at her stories if you get a chance!
> 
> Keep an eye out for the next chapter, where we meet the engines and a whole lot of other people! It's gonna be a long one!


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting and Shattering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaina officially meets the engines and their crews.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! I wanted to interrupt your regularly scheduled chapter to congratulate Thomas and Friends on the 75th anniversary of the Railway Series!  
> On May 12th, 1945, a book by a relatively unknown Reverand was published titled The Three Railway Engines. No one could have predicted what massive success could have followed from those four stories. Since then, the story of the North Western Railway and its engines has expanded to 42 books in the Railway Series (which comes to 168 stories in all), 24 television series, 13 television specials, one film in theatres, three spin-off series, three theme parks, and dozens of replica engines around the world. No matter your opinion on the current series, past series, choices made, or any other aspect of the series, it's incredible to see how far these engines have come from stories told to a young sick child.  
> Here's to another 75 years and more, Thomas! Keep on steaming!

**_Chapter 2: Meeting and Shattering_ **

The family stayed holed up in the house for the rest of the day. Shaina, especially, barely came out of her room, wrapped up in her hammock. The world was far too confusing at that point in time. It felt so _wrong_ , but, at the same time, she never felt more at home. She stayed there for hours, wrapped up and hidden away from the world.

The very next day, Shaina woke up early and decided to go out for a walk. She really wasn't sure where she was going, but her feet eventually took her past her house and down towards the shed. As she got closer, she heard conversation and laughter.

"Jim, Maggie, don't start riling Gordon up again today. He was in a foul enough mood yesterday!"

"C'mon, Dan, it's far too fun! And don't you start, Alice. I saw you with James last week."

"Moi? Try anything with my dear engine? Perish the thought!"

There was an unbelieving snort and a howl of laughter.

"I heard that, Jack, and you'd better not say anything. You and Blue One over there have been terrorizing the branch line for the past few days!"

Shaina was now close enough to peek around the corner of the sheds. The engines were there, all six of them. And near each engine were two people, checking them over and getting them ready. Half of the people, who Shaina guessed were the drivers, wore blue suits with dark smudges on the legs and a blue cap. The other half wore the same cap, but with blue coveralls that were started to turn various stages of black from coal dust, which indicated that they were the firemen.

The first to notice the brown mop sticking out from around the corner was one of the men standing near the tank engines, the one with blond hair and sparkles of grey at the temples. He straightened up as Shaina ducked back behind the wall. She panicked a bit. What if she wasn't supposed to be here? Could she get in trouble for trespassing? What if she was arrested?!

But, before her thoughts could lead her down a more troublesome rabbit hole, the man looked around the wall and smiled. "No need to worry, guys. Just an observer," he called back to the others before nodding to her. "Nice to meet you, miss. What's your name?"

"My name's Shaina," she said, taking a half-step back. "And yours?"

"I'm Chris. Chris Wryda. You want to come meet them?"

"Them?"

"The engines." Chris looked at her curiously. "Have you been to the island before?"

"That depends on what you mean," Shaina replied vaguely. "But, I would."

Chris chuckled and motioned her out into the view of the engines, who were pretending that they hadn't been listening closely. Shaina couldn't help but chuckle a bit as the other man with Chris shook his head disbelievingly at the tank engine. The crews quickly came over to see the new addition to the island.

"Hi there," greeted a man with wavy brown hair. "I'm Dan Hanes. I think I saw you yesterday."

"You did?" Shaina asked.

"Of course! Henry's my engine." He showed off the gleaming gold "3" pin attached to his blue work jacket. "C'mon. He's been asking about you."

Shaina quietly came over and looked up at Henry, who smiled down to her. "Hello, Miss! It's nice to see you again."

Shaina nodded up to him and was just about to respond when there was a jealous snort from the two engines to Henry's left, a blue one beside him and a red one on one end of the shed. The blue one, Gordon, spoke up first.

"And you nearly made me late for the Express in the process!"

Henry just rolled his eyes as one of the crew members wearing coveralls, a woman with brown hair, came over and glared up at Gordon.

"Oi, that wasn't very nice. And you weren't late yesterday, so knock it off!"

The red engine, James, snickered as Gordon shrunk back.

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman shook her head and came over. "I'm Maggie Ducal. My husband, Jim, and I crew Gordon." Sure enough, the blonde-haired man she motioned to had a gold "4" pin on his jacket. "He can… be a handful at times."

"Which he? The engine or the husband?" Shaina couldn't help but joke.

Maggie laughed. "Oh, she'll fit right in," she remarked to Dan.

"Sounds like it," said another man, this one with jet-black hair, approached. He wore coveralls as well, but, unlike the others, he wore a pin like the drivers. It was a black "5" pin, which caused Shaina to smile a bit.

"You're with Henry?"

"Indeed I am, Miss. Ray Jackson's the name." He smirked at noticing her glasses. "What're you? A bookworm?"

"I like to think of myself as one."

Dan gave his work partner a gentle smack upside the head. "Enough, you. We don't need any of your pranks today."

"No, we really do need some pranks today," called a fireman who had black hair with bright red streaks. Shaina smiled. She could guess who he worked with.

"No, we don't, Benjamin Canun!" retorted a woman with fiery red hair that seemed to tangle itself down to her shoulders and a "5" pin on her jacket. "So help me, you'll be stuck scrubbing coal dust off James by yourself for weeks if you pull anything today."

"Why wouldn't I? Gotta keep him shiny so we can show him off!" Ben grinned as James gave him an appreciative glance.

The woman threw up her hands in exasperation and stormed back to the engine cab. Dan shook his head.

"That's Alice Mansi, James' driver. She… tends to speak her mind."

Another one of the drivers came over, this one with a gold "6" pin. "If you like books, you might want to stop by Crovan's Gate sometime. Massive library they've got over there." He held out his hand to shake. "Rick Hanes. I'm Percy's driver. Dan's my brother."

"Nice to meet you," Shaina greeted, shaking the offered hand.

"Wanna come see him?"

Shaina chuckled. "Why not?"

Rick lead her to the opposite end of the shed. Here were the two tank engines, shielded from Gordon and James by Henry and another blue tender engine.

"Sam, how's Percy's fire coming?" Rick called.

In response, a woman with black wavy hair poked her head out the window of the green engine's cab. "Building. We should be ready in a few minutes."

"Good. The Boss should be here soon, so we'll be ready."

The tank engines, meanwhile, were watching the newcomer with interest. But it was neither of them who spoke up first. Instead, the tender engine smiled at Shaina.

"Hello, there. I'm Edward. Are you new to the island?"

"I am. Nice to meet you, Edward."

The two men with Edward came over to introduce themselves as Charlie Sand III and Sidney Heaver Jr.

"When did you come?" interrupted the tank engine she recognized as Percy.

"A couple of nights ago."

Chris then came up and brought her over to the very end of the shed. "Shaina, meet Jack Rogers, my fireman. And this…" he motioned up to the engine in front of them, "...is Thomas."

Shaina froze for an instant as she stared up at the engine, who stared back. This engine, Thomas, was the same one she saw in her dream!

The spell was broken in a moment as the sound of a small car came from down the road.

"Guys! Boss at 12 o'clock!" Jack called back to the group as the crews scrambled to their respective engines. Chris escorted her to the other side of the shed.

"Sorry to cut the whole thing short, but we head out right after we get orders anyway. Feel free to say hi to any of us if you see us out and about!" He brought her around to the walking path and jogged back to Thomas. She stayed and watched for a moment as a man in a suit with a yellow waistcoat and top hat came out of the blue car. He greeted the engines and started assigning jobs in a booming voice.

Shaina sighed as she turned to head back, popping in her earbuds and starting one of her favorite songs. She only half heard herself starting to sing along, the violin gently pounding away in her ears.

" _Somebody make me feel alive and shatter me!_ "

The engines and humans alike were silent, listening to the song. They wouldn't even realize what had happened until later that day when Ben found a small symbol painted in James' number. Shaina herself wouldn't even notice the whistle around her neck that wasn't there before until lunchtime when Joel would ask her where she found it.

For now, all they knew was the voice and the violin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shaina's finally officially met the engines and we meet their crews as well (which is why this chapter ended up so long). Don't worry, this isn't the last we'll see of Chris, Dan, and the other crews. They'll pop up every now and again.
> 
> For those wondering about what symbol appears, it's a treble clef in a heart. The same picture can be found as the cover image of this story on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> Also, I threw in a fun little Easter egg in this chapter. If you can find it, I'll give you a shout out at the start of Chapter 3! Hint: it may not be in the right order!
> 
> Speaking of Chapter 3, what will be in it? Well, more mystery, to be sure. We'll meet more people as well, some familiar and some not...


	4. Chapter 3: Names and Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: If anyone has any ideas about what tags would work well for this fic, please feel free to suggest them. I'm honestly lost.  
> Also, happy Memorial Day to those who celebrate it! May we always remember the fallen.

**_Chapter 3: Names and Gifts_ **

A couple of days had passed, and Autumn's biting chill was growing stronger every day. Shaina had found coats hanging up in a closet, which was quite the godsend, as the wind was whipping up on this particular day. She walked down the streets of Wellsworth, bundled up and lost in thought. The last week or so was like nothing she could imagine. Her family was cared for, thank heavens. They had found that her parents had jobs lined up for them and various important documents were stashed away in a safe that had the combination taped to the top. Her brother found a letter stating that he was enrolled in a local school, which solved that issue. Everything they needed had mostly been either pointed towards or provided outright.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see the man in front of her and they collided. Shaina groaned as she noticed herself sprawled on the ground.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice with a Liverpudlian accent.

Shaina looked up to see a bearded man in a British conductor's uniform holding out his hand to help her up.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," she stammered, accepting the hand. "I suppose I should apologize for that."

"Don't worry about it," the man reassured with a laugh. "It's my pleasure, Miss…"

"Shaina. You can call me Shaina."

"Miss Shaina, an honor," the man replied. "I must be off now. Goodbye!" He tipped his hat and melted into the crowd.

Shaina stood there a moment in utter bewilderment. Who on earth was that man? He was familiar to be sure. No doubt a conductor of some kind, judging by his uniform. But… Why on earth did she feel the need to refer to him as Mr. C?

Shaking her head, Shaina decided to head home. She'd been out enough for the day.

-/-

Edward was resting at the shed since he had some time between trains. He watched as the girl from yesterday walked up the path, listening to how her voice carried in the wind.

" _Just an ordinary day  
_ _All at once, you're on your way  
_ _To a place that cannot be  
_ _No one knows what turns the key."_

Edward shared a glance with Charlie. She was an anomaly, it was obvious to the engines and crews, but none of them knew what to do, let alone think.

-/-

It was late that night when Shaina trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. She barely registered walking into her room. Well, until she spied the package on her bed with a letter atop it. Shaina was awake in an instant, examining them. The letter, in particular, looked intriguing, as it only had 'Songbird' written in looping cursive on the front of a crisp white envelope. She carefully opened the envelope and read through the letter.

_Dear Songbird,_

_If you are reading this, you've successfully reached Sodor. Congratulations!_

_I can imagine that you're scared and unsure of why or how you're here. I cannot answer those questions, but rest assured that you are here for a reason. If you keep your spark, you will thrive. You are unique among your kind, and even I don't know how things will manifest for you later on. Just keep moving forward. You'll find your rhythm._

_Best of luck to you and your family,_

_D_

_P.S. Here's some things to help you. I'll send more if I need to._

Shaina studied the letter carefully. No clue as to who sent it, she noted. Well, it was no one she really knew, anyways. She slowly unwrapped the package.

The first thing she saw inside was a few folded pieces of paper. She pulled them out and gently unfolded them to reveal maps. The biggest one covered the whole island, rails crisscrossing the land like a patchwork quilt. Some of the smaller ones focused on the various branch lines. Each map noted where stations, sheds, water towers, coal bunkers, important locations, and other places of interest were marked in bright colors that seemed to sparkle whenever Shaina turned her head.

She looked back into the box to see a pair of books. Both had the name of Sodor on them, though the covers were worn and it was hard to make out the authors. As she opened them, her eyes widened in interest. Inside, carefully annotated and highlighted, were stories and facts about the island and railway. Shaina scanned the books, curious.

She didn't remain curious for long, though, as the last item beckoned her. She gasped in surprise as she pulled out a laptop. In an instant, Shaina had it turned on and running. Pulling up the browser, she saw bookmarks already saved. They showed the official website for the North Western Railway, the railway's social media channels, webcams, websites of various locals and stores around the island, and other information about the island and railway.

Shaina gently turned off the computer, setting it aside and picking up the letter again. D? Who on earth would name their child D?! Probably some of the same people who named their kid Mr. C, her mind reasoned, still attached to that name for the man she bumped into earlier.

But those were thoughts for tomorrow, Shaina reminded herself as she put everything back in the box. And tomorrow would be another day in this madhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, there's a lot to unpack in this one. We meet two mysterious people in this chapter, Mr. C and D, who I want to note are not related to each other. At least not THAT closely. I have a feeling that you guys might figure out who Mr. C is. He'll show up quite a bit more in this fic, though maybe not looking the same...
> 
> D, though... Oh, D is interesting. I don't want to give too much away, cause he'll be showing up eventually. Maybe not as soon as you think, but eventually.
> 
> Next chapter, Shaina's gonna go exploring! And we have a couple more characters coming in as we see another important aspect of the railway...


	5. Chapter 4: A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip out leads to another aspect of the railway...

_**Chapter 4: A New Friend** _

The next morning, Shaina went off on an errand to Crovan's Gate, looking for this mysteriously massive library that Rick had been telling her about. Crovan's Gate was considered by many to be a city, alongside Brendam, Vicarstown, Knapford, and Tidmouth. These cities were smaller than cities on the mainland and in other parts of the world. However, they were the biggest on the island. Knapford was the connection between the main line and Thomas' line, while Tidmouth housed the main engine sheds and the headquarters of the North Western Railway. Brendam and Vicarstown were both on the coast with Vicarstown having the Mainland Bridge and Brendam having the main docks and the China Clay pits. And, of course, Crovan's Gate was the home of the mighty Steamworks, which was responsible for the upkeep of every steam engine on the entire island, as well as bringing in steam engines from around the world for repairs and restoration.

Needless to say, Shaina had been doing her research.

It was a busy day and she had to duck and weave through the crowds of people as they made their way to their own destinations. Things were packed tight in a few places and she really had to squeeze. In fact, she was squeezing so hard that she didn't see the young woman in front of her.

"Hey! Careful!"

Shaina looked over to see a girl with brown hair that was all tangly and poofy. For a moment, it reminded her of Merida's hair from _Brave_ , but shorter and brown in color. Her skin was a bit darker than Shaina's, more of a bronze color. She wore a white, short-sleeved, button-up shirt with a black tie and black leggings. The girl muttered as she shifted the items in her arms.

"You almost made me drop my lunch!" she complained.

Shaina carefully stood up and saw the lunch. "... A slice of pie and a cup of coffee?"

"Yep. Everything a person could want. I _love_ pie and coffee. Dad says I'm addicted, but I think he's overdramatic."

Shaina chuckled. "Well, there are worse things to be addicted to, I suppose."

"I know, right?" The girl shifted her things so she could hold out a hand. "I'm Miranda Hanes."

"Shaina McKin. I think I've heard your name before…"

"I bet. My dad drives Henry and Uncle Rick drives Percy."

"Family of railroaders, huh?"

"Yep! I'm an apprentice at the 'Works. Wanna come see?"

Shaina was a bit taken aback. "I… Would it be alright?"

"Yeah! C'mon. I think you'll find it interesting!"

And, before she could argue or protest, Miranda was pulling Shaina along towards her car, which was also alive. Surprise, surprise.

* * *

The Steamworks was just outside of Crovan's Gate on the northeast side of town. It was a large building painted tan with windows lined along the sides, one set on top of the others. The roof held multiple chimneys that streamed a thin layer of smoke. Tracks of all sizes wound their way around the building and yard. There was a very interesting contraption that Miranda described as a "transfer table" that was at the three large entrances to the building. Above the entrances hung a sign that said "Sodor Steamworks" in large, green letters. Underneath the letters was a symbol in the same ugly green color - a chimney with steam coming out surrounded by a large cog wheel.

Shaina carefully eyed the building as she got out of Aria, Miranda's car. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I don't want you to get in trouble or anything…"

Miranda laughed. "Do you know how many fans come to the railway on a weekly basis? Well into the thousands. And that's not including those that live on the island… You'll be fine." She paused a moment to wave to Aria and shift her coffee to her other hand. "There are rules of course. Guests can't come in unless they're part of a tour or invited by a worker, like me, guests have to stay in specific areas for their safety, fun stuff like that."

Whatever the outside of the building implied, the inside was vastly different. Massive pieces of machinery packed themselves into the building, creating a dim roar echoing throughout the building. Sparks flew from a couple of those machines, creating flashes of light. The air was warm and muggy. Smoke settled in the roof, giving the light streaming in from the skylights a hazy effect. There were engines scattered around the building, pulled into various sidings to be worked on.

As Shaina finished taking it all in, a sigh came from a nearby engine. He ran on rails that were closer together than the rails she'd normally seen. He was covered in red paint with yellow lining and just below his cab window was the same symbol as the big sign outside. The engine looked to Miranda, exasperatedly.

" _Por amor de Dios_ , Miranda… Who is this?"

"Hello to you too, Victor. This is Shaina, a friend of mine. She's new to the island."

Shaina swore she saw a spark of recognition in the red engine's eyes.

"Ah. Would this be the same Shaina that Henry's been talking about for the past few days?"

"I haven't heard of anyone else by that name," Miranda replied as Shaina blushed behind her.

Victor smiled to Shaina. "Hello, my friend. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well, Victor," Shaina replied respectfully.

Victor looked over to Miranda. "You know the rules. Make sure she stays in the safe areas and don't let her get burned."

"Yes, Boss," Miranda nodded.

"You called, Miranda?" replied a man, walking over. He wore something very similar to the engine crews, but over that he wore grey overalls with an embroidered Steamworks logo and the words 'Sodor Steamworks' encircling it. He also carried his hat under his arm instead of over his shaggy blonde hair.

"Hey, Samuel," Miranda greeted. "Yes, I know I'm not back in uniform yet. I… was just headed back to do that! So… I'll be… right back…" And with an awkward chuckle, Miranda was gone.

Samuel shook his head. "Miranda…" he sighed, then turned to Shaina. "A guest, huh? I'm Samuel Evans. I'm the Human Head of the Works."

"..."Human" Head?"

"Yep." Samuel chuckled. "Victor's the Engine Head. I handle human stuff, like employees and things, and he mainly sticks to helping fix the engines." He motioned for her to follow him as he walked. "See, fixing living engines is a bit tricky, because they can feel. And some things that seem really bad for them may not hurt as much, or vice versa. Victor has a better idea of how things might feel to an engine. The engines may also tell him things that they might not be able to explain to us."

"So… in some ways, he acts as a translator?"

"In a way, yes."

Just then, there was a massive groan from the entrance. There was a tank engine painted in avocado green with yellow lining. On his sides, he had a symbol that said "GWR" and the number 11. At the moment, he was being pushed in on a flatbed by Percy and it was easy to see why. His whole left side was nearly covered in mud and looked very dented. His two drive wheels on the same side had also snapped clean off.

Victor and Samuel raced over, looking horrified.

"Oliver, my friend, what happened to you?" Victor asked.

"Ran into something and my wheels came off heading out of Haultraugh. Took me and my train down with it. I'm lucky Duck asked to switch my passenger train with him or things could have gotten really messy."

Shaina winced from the sidelines as Miranda finally returned, dressed in her uniform but still holding her cup of coffee.

"Yikes!" she whispered to Shaina as they watched Victor direct Percy to an open space. "Oliver really did a number on himself…"

"Is this a normal thing or…?"

"Seems like it. I haven't been working long enough to tell, to be honest. Wanna say hello?"

"I… Wait…" Shaina stuttered as Miranda drug her over to the other side of the Steamworks. "Can I even…?"

"You'll be fine as long as you don't get in the way." And, before Shaina could really register what was happening, she was standing by the hoist, Oliver watching her curiously. The two blinked at each other for a few moments until Miranda sharply nudged Shaina.

"Hey!"

"Say something! Shockingly, Oliver doesn't bite."

Shaina rolled her eyes, thinking that maybe Miranda's coffee addiction wasn't that great after all.

Oliver was the one to make the first move. "Hello, miss. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Oliver. I'm Shaina."

There was a flash of recognition in the engine's eyes. "Ah, yes. Henry was mentioning you yesterday."

Miranda chuckled at Shaina's surprised reaction. "Rule 1 of Sodor: Watch what you say around the engines. They're the worst gossips in the world, especially when someone makes an impression on them."

"Good to note," Shaina muttered to herself in reply.

Turns out that, once Oliver got to talking, he tended to hold up a conversation just fine. Miranda was quick to reassure that most engines liked talking about themselves and could likely do so for hours. Oliver told story after story, leaving Shaina spellbound.

Eventually, Shaina grabbed a ride with someone leaving and headed back to Crovan's Gate, this time with actual directions to the library. Sure enough, the library was as massive and beautiful as Rick had described it. By the time she left, she had a fair stack of books tucked away in a bag.

When she returned home that night, she found a small notebook with a matching pen, both in the same pale pink color of her favorite jacket, waiting on her bed. Inside was an inscription:

_Songbird,_

_It seems I forgot something in my gift. Be sure to write good stories. You never know when you may need one._

_Best of luck,_

_D_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Shaina's venturing out a bit further from home and she's met Miranda and the Steamworks crew. Shaina's learning more about the island and engines, as well as making some new friends. This won't be the last time we see the Steamworks crew. They'll pop up eventually.
> 
> Next time we see more with the engine crews, Shaina hears another story, and Chris has a gift! Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 5: Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaina starts to collect stories, especially from one particular engine...

**_Chapter 5: Learning  
_ **

Days passed, one after the other. Shaina grew bolder, watching the engines work and listening to them converse with each other. Sometimes she'd be joined by her brother, but she mostly came alone. The engines and crews noticed, seeing how she came and wrote things down in a small pink notebook.

The engines were curious about this as well, as Shaina would sit near them and ask them questions about the past and their various duties in the present. She'd jot them down in her notebook and thank them gently before hurrying off. Some nights, as they settled to sleep, they'd see a light on in the upper story of the strange house. They would also see a shadow passing back and forth as Shaina studied what she'd learned and consulted her maps and books and websites and memory. She learned so much over those last few days, gaining a better picture of the engines and what they'd experienced.

Some of the engines were a bit nervous at this idea, but, out of all of the engines, no one was more nervous about this than Henry. To put things simply, he hadn't had the best of pasts. Many of the engines knew this. Aside from the occasional jab about one incident in particular, they simply did not speak of such things.

Well, they didn't until one night when Shaina arrived at the shed with her little pink notebook. The engines eyed her carefully as she spoke with Dan and Ray in hushed whispers. The two men looked concerned but slowly nodded their heads.

Henry watched nervously as Shaina snaked her way around to his front and watched him for a moment.

"Can I climb up?"

At this, the other engines looked over. This strange woman had never asked to climb up onto an engine before now. Henry eyed her carefully.

"... Okay."

Shaina smiled up at him. She set her notebook on his buffer beam and carefully climbed up with the assistance of Dan and Ray. Once up, she shuffled around until she was sitting comfortably in a position where she could see his face, one leg bent in front of her and the other hanging off of his front.

"Henry," Shaina began carefully, her notebook open. "Would it be alright if I asked you some questions?"

"... Okay."

"Are you just going to answer 'okay' to everything?"

"... No?"

Shaina chuckled, reaching down to pat one of his buffers.

"Easy there, Big Green. I don't want to scare you too much, okay?"

Henry said nothing, so Shaina assumed she could continue.

"Henry, could you tell me a bit about where you worked before you came to Sodor?"

"Nowhere, I guess."

"... Nowhere?"

Henry bit his lip nervously as he continued. "I was built in some dusty old warehouse on the coast of the Mainland. It's been so long ago, I don't remember where it was. I didn't really do any work until I was brought here."

"What was it like, may I ask?"

Here Henry hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to speak up or not. But, before Shaina could move on to a different question, he finally answered.

"When I woke up for the first time, it… wasn't pleasant. Apparently, I was supposed to be a Gresley A1 Pacific, like Gordon. One of Gresley's biggest rivals had hired someone to steal the plans, but they took an earlier draft instead, which took what became the A1 and mixed it with elements from the small boiler Ivatt C1 Atlantic, among others, into the worst possible combination that could still technically run."

"Do you remember who it was? Gresley's rival?"

Henry thought a moment, then sighed. "I've forgotten the name a long time ago."

"It's alright. If you're comfortable with it, could you tell me what it was like for you between when you first woke up and when you were purchased?"

Henry sighed again. "Not much. Shortly after I woke up, I was moved from the warehouse where I was built to an even smaller warehouse to be locked away. Some of the workmen came to visit me and tried to teach me what sorts of things I would need to expect if I was ever taken away, but none of us were really sure. My owner sometimes came in to shout at me. He said that if nobody bought me within a year, he'd send me to the scrapyards."

"You were obviously purchased, though. What was Sir Topham Hatt's reaction when he first met you?"

Henry winced at this. "He was… very angry. Not at me! But I remember him inspecting me, then turning to my owner and shouting at him that he was promised a Robinson Atlantic. They argued for a while, but I was already purchased and my old owner refused to give back the money. The Fat Controller apologized to me as we were heading to Sodor and told me that he was eager for any help I could give."

Dan and Ray gave each other looks out of Henry's sight as Shaina paused to think of how to word her next question.

"What was it like… when you were bricked up in the tunnel?"

The engine looked away in shame and here, Shaina noted, Henry's face showed every single one of his 101 years. "It… it was horrible. I was still fairly new, since it wasn't long after Gordon arrived. At first, I wasn't too concerned, because I told myself that the Fat Controller needed me and he'd let me out within the week and put me back to work. After a month of telling myself that… I… just waited to rust away."

Shaina paused a moment. "Henry, how long were you in the tunnel?"

"...Nearly 3 months, I think. Maybe more," Henry answered quietly.

Dan and Ray seethed. 3 months bricked up alone?! No wonder Henry never liked to talk about it! Of course, there was no one to complain to. The first Fat Controller had passed a long time ago. But that didn't make it any more right.

"That's probably why I had so much trouble steaming after I came out," Henry continued. "I had some trouble before, but it eventually got a lot worse after the tunnel."

"I've heard stories about that. How long was it before you got the Welsh coal?"

"A few years, I think. Nearly every part that could be replaced without me having to spend a lot of time in the Works was replaced, but nearly nothing helped for long. The Welsh coal, though…" Henry paused and smiled. "That was probably the first time I felt like a proper engine."

Shaina took another deep breath. "And… how long was it between when you got the Welsh coal and… your Kipper wreck?"

"About 4 months," Henry sighed. "It was awful, just lying in the snow waiting to be rescued. It hurt too, a lot. Everything felt twisted and broken. I really wasn't sure that Crewe would be able to fix me, but they did. Mr. Stainer decided to fix me up like one of his engines, a Black 5. One of them was there undergoing repairs. I think her name was… Sovereign? Yes, Sovereign. I think she's still running, actually." Henry paused again. "I don't think I could ever really thank Mr. Stainer properly. If he didn't owe the Fat Controller a favor, I think I would have finally been scrapped after that wreck…"

Shaina nodded respectfully and closed her notebook. She had heard more than enough.

The crews were quick to notice the somewhat somber mood circulating around the shed. Unsurprisingly, Ben was the first to try and cheer everyone up.

"Hey, Shaina! You're a singer, right?"

Shaina looked around to see the fireman. "Yeah… Why?"

"I propose… A sing-off!"

There was a groan from the crews and James.

"Please, no!" cried the red engine. "Ben, you're horrible at singing!"

"James, I'm appalled! I'm great at it! I could sing solo!"

"Yeah," called Alice. "So low we can't hear you!"

An uproar of laughter followed, leaving Ben sulking.

"Maybe some other time," Shaina replied, smirking at Ben. "I'm not sure my ears are ready for a reprise of Scuttle's Solo."

This sent the crews into an even greater fit of laughter and, after a quick explanation, the engines joined in. Ben just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Some other time." He sounded grumpy, but one look in his mischievously sparkling eyes told another story.

The crews and engines continued to gently tease each other until Henry was smiling and seemed to be in a better mood. Once they were sure the green engine would be alright, the crews started packing up their supplies and trickled out. Chris and Jack, however, wandered up to Shaina and whispered something to her. She slowly nodded and followed them back to Thomas, climbing up into the cab and out of sight.

The engines carefully watched, unsure of what to think. Most of them had crews in the past who would do unsavory things in an engine's cab when the people thought the engine wouldn't be listening. But there weren't any sounds to indicate that was happening and Thomas didn't look upset or disgusted. Instead, he stared back to his cab in wonder, hardly daring to breathe. After a few minutes, he let out the softest of gasps.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"Nonono, Miss! You didn't!" Thomas quickly corrected.

There was a chuckle that sounded like it may have come from Jack before silence fell over the shed again. The other engines watched, still unsure of exactly what was happening. Thomas all but held his breath in anticipation.

After another few minutes, Shaina, Jack, and Chris climbed down and left the sheds, with Shaina smiling broadly and thanking Thomas' crew profusely. The engines watched Thomas for a moment.

"Thomas?" Edward finally asked after they were sure the humans were gone. "What happened?"

Thomas's eyes turned to the blue tender engine. "My crew… They were teaching her my controls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks so much for all your kudos and views! They seriously motivate me to write more. And feel free to comment! I don't mind answering questions either, though I can't always promise a straight answer. ;)
> 
> So, Shaina learns more about Henry's past in this chapter. Henry's one of my favorite characters in the whole TTTE franchise and, to be honest, he probably has one of the more interesting backstories compared to most engines. Henry went through so much before he even turned 20. It's hard to not feel a bit sorry for him.
> 
> And, yes, Shaina's getting the chance to work with the engines! Now, I'm not too familiar with how to work steam engines, so apologies to those who do. I'm gonna try to keep those descriptions to a minimum, so you can use your imaginations.
> 
> What's next, you may ask? Well, Shaina starts to find out what a typical day on the North Western Railway is like...


	7. Chapter 6: A Typical Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's a day like on the North Western Railway? Looks like we're about to find out...

_**Chapter 6: A Typical Day** _

Sure enough, Chris and Jack had offered to teach Shaina the intricacies of crewing a living engine and Shaina caught on fairly quickly. It was a few lessons later that Chris invited Shaina along in Thomas' cab to see what a typical day on Sodor was like. Shaina happily agreed. She also pretended to ignore Ray, Alice, Ben, and Sam snickering in the corner of the shed.

Of course, things went well for most of the morning, as they tended to do. Trains were on time and ran smoothly. The weather, though a bit cool, was calm and everyone was in a good mood. Well, until Percy met up with Thomas late that morning, sulking.

"Careful, Thomas. Bulgy's up to his old tricks."

"What'd he do this time?" Jack sighed.

Sam shook her head. "He tried to take some passengers from our last train. And when that didn't work, he blocked the level crossing at Maithwaite!"

Chris groaned and shook his head. "And, let me guess. He was spouting off about that 'Free the Roads' nonsense?"

"Yup. Bertie had to tell him to move in order for us to leave."

Shaina rolled her eyes. She remembered stories about that bus.

"Don't worry. We'll look out for him," Thomas reassured his friend as he headed off for his next assignment.

Shaina supposed it was luck that they didn't see the bus for as long as they did. But they couldn't avoid Bulgy forever and, when Thomas stopped to fill up with water later that day, they saw him on the road near the tracks. Engine and Bus pretended to ignore the other and Bulgy quickly left.

"Hmm…" Thomas murmured as he felt the water flow into his tanks. "This water seems a bit funny…" But he was far too thirsty to care and shrugged it off.

It wasn't too long later, though, that trouble started. As the group was traveling down the line with Annie and Clarabel, funny sounds started coming from Thomas's boiler. Chris and Jack looked to each other, nodded, and Jack stuck his head out the window just as Thomas's smoke started to turn a horrible brown color.

"Oh! What's going on?!" Thomas called to his crew.

"Something's wrong with your water!" Jack called back as he ducked back into the cab and adjusted some of the controls. "We'll have to take you off the train."

For a moment, it seemed as if Thomas was about to protest, but then Shaina heard a sickly groan from the engine.

"There it is," sighed Chris sympathetically. "He's really tasting that water now. We won't hear any more complaints from him about getting taken off."

They jerked to a stop in a nearby siding, where Annie and Clarabel were uncoupled, twittering nervously to each other. Chris brought Thomas forward a bit further to put some distance between the engine and the passengers, just in case, and Jack dropped the fire.

As the crew tended to their engine, Shaina carefully came up and around Thomas's front to a disturbing sight. Thomas looked absolutely miserable and very sorry for himself. His entire face was tinged green, a vast difference from its normal stone color. With his face so green, the areas around his eyes and the tip of his nose looked just a shade red. He blinked rapidly as he tried to focus on the girl near him and every breath was slow and careful as if he might throw up.

Could engines throw up? Shaina wasn't sure she wanted to find out...

Chris was true to his word. Thomas certainly didn't complain about being taken off the train. He did, however, complain about how horrible the water was and how awful he felt and how he wished someone would hurry up and get him so he could get this disgusting water out of his system! Chris and Jack just nodded sympathetically as they soothed him and tried to make him comfortable.

Unfortunately, Thomas's mood would not improve any time soon as Percy was the engine assigned to finish his run. The green engine was quite amused at the whole situation when he came to rescue the passengers.

"My, my, Thomas. I thought you learned your lesson about fishing last time!"

Thomas replied with something that wasn't fit to be repeated, to which Chris threatened to wash his mouth out that evening, sick engine or not.

At last, Toby came to gently tow Thomas back to the Works and dropped the humans at Knapford. "Well, there's a half-day off for us. Thomas will get a relief crew if Victor lets him go by the end of today," Chris said. He paused a moment. "Hey, Shaina, are you doing anything in the next little while?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Well… if you want to continue learning from us, we gotta get you official clearance."

"Official clearance?"

"Yeah. A bit of paperwork that says you're hired and other fun things like that. We'll have to go see the Boss."

Shaina sighed. She supposed it was about time anyway. The three grabbed their things and headed to the station.

* * *

Most controllers on a normal railway would usually have their offices in some big skyscraper, far away from the daily operations However, as it was well established, the North Western was not a normal railway. After all, not only did they use primarily steam for their motive power, but nearly all of their engines were living! And, since living engines looked to their controller for guidance and reassurance, the controller needed to be much more available to them and travel more often than other controllers.

Thus, Sir Topham Hatt's office was located in a corner of Tidmouth station, with a parking space for his car behind the station and a couple of sidings alongside the office. Chris told Shaina that, in the early days of the railway, it used to be located at Vicarstown, near the Mainland. However, as the railway became more popular and Tidmouth sheds became more active and prone to arguments, Sir Topham Hatt moved his office to Tidmouth to keep a better eye on the engines. Even as the railway expanded and secondary offices were added at Knapford and Vicarstown, the Tidmouth office was usually where you'd find someone.

Sure enough, as the three walked down the Tidmouth platform, lights were shining behind a door with a golden plaque stating 'Sir Richard Topham Hatt - Controller'. Jack excused himself to grab a snack, leaving Shaina and Chris in front of the suddenly imposing door.

"You ready?"

"Does no count?"

Chris just chuckled. "He's not as scary as the posters make him out to be. You'll be fine." He reached up and knocked.

"Come in," called a voice behind the door.

Chris gave Shaina a reassuring smile and the two entered the office.

Shaina wasn't really sure what she was expecting, but the warm and cozy room that she stepped into wasn't it. The walls were painted a dim, cheery yellow and a beautiful red rug was spread over the wooden floors. Windows looked out onto the station platform and the nearby yard, though most of them had coverings that were pulled down. A hatstand near the door held a suit jacket and a couple of top hats. On the wall to the right of the door was a large map of the entire island. The wall to the left held a filing cabinet, a safe, and a large bookshelf filled with beautiful old books and binders of various thicknesses that said things like "Henry - '35" on the spines. The back wall held awards and certificates and pictures of various engines on the railway, like Thomas, Henry, and Gordon. In near the middle of the room was a beautiful antique desk with a couple of phones and papers covering it and a light fixture hanging above that wouldn't look out of place in an average grocery store.

And there, sitting behind the desk with a couple of papers in his hand, was Sir Topham Hatt himself, looking at the two over his reading glasses. Since he had hung up his suit jacket, Shaina saw him wearing only a white dress shirt with a black tie and yellow waistcoat. He stood up, setting down his papers and glasses, and came around to in front of the desk, smiling.

"Chris! How's Thomas holding up?"

"Complaining, Sir, as usual. He reacted quite… explicitly when Percy hinted that Thomas may have gone fishing again. Might have to wash Thomas's mouth out."

"I'll ask his driver to speak to Percy later," Sir Topham Hatt sighed. He glanced over to see Shaina standing there in a bright pink t-shirt and jean overalls smudged with coal on the legs. "Hello, Miss."

Shaina nodded, an obvious expression of concern and bewilderment on her face. "Hello, Sir."

Chris chuckled. "Sir, this is Shaina McKin. Jack and I have been showing her Thomas's controls and we want to get her some official clearance."

Sir Topham Hatt gave Chris a steady, curious look. Clearances were much rarer than they seemed, especially nowadays, and to have anyone recommend someone was a major event. "Are you sure, Mr. Wryda?" he asked slowly and Shaina noted the switch from first to last name. "You haven't asked to give someone clearance for a very long time now."

"Yes, Sir. Very sure. The engines are already fond of her. She's got a talent for putting up with them. From what we've seen, she's picking up the controls well."

"She's also still here," Shaina pointed out, leaning against the wall.

The two men chuckled and Shaina noticed the sparkle return to Sir Topham Hatt's eyes. He went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a few papers as Shaina pulled up a chair that was next to the hatstand. For the next few minutes, they went over all the papers with Chris explaining some of the technical terms. A few signatures and a couple of stamps later and everything was all settled.

Sir Topham Hatt held out his hand. "Welcome to the North Western Railway, Miss McKin!"

"Thank you, Sir! Happy to be here!"

Chris chuckled. "I'll be sure to help her get her uniform tomorrow, Sir."

More pleasantries were exchanged before they finally left the office. Chris chuckled, watching Shaina out of the corner of his eye. "How're you feeling?"

"A bit like I signed my life away. Is that normal?"

"Can be. You'll be fine."

Jack raced up, carrying a bag with some kind of sweet in it. "Well?"

Shaina held up the piece of paper and smirked. "Clearance granted."

Jack let out a whoop of excitement. "Congrats, kid! Oh, wait till everyone else hears! I think Henry might cry…"

The three kept joking and laughing as they headed off to grab some sort of celebratory snack before heading to the sheds.

Back in the office, Sir Topham Hatt frowned as he thought back to what he had been reading a few nights ago. Notes from past controllers were always interesting, after all. But there was something… He turned to the bookshelf and grabbed two of the thickest binders: one that said "Clearances - '47" and one that said "Clearances - '95." Perhaps he should call home and tell his wife that he'll be late. He'd be doing some research tonight…

* * *

That evening, the sheds were abuzz with news. Thomas had been cleaned out and was back with the others. As predicted, Shaina's clearance was met with resounding approval. The crews congratulated her and offered bits of advice. The engines also offered congratulations and advice on who she should learn next. This was followed by arguments of who she should work with next that didn't fully calm down for a good hour or so.

There was also word about what happened earlier. Turns out that Thomas wasn't the only one that became ill, as James and Percy both also took on water from the same tower. Bulgy and Bertie were quickly asked to cover while new trains were arranged, but they were overwhelmed with passengers and both buses broke down. Bulgy inadvertently confessed that he witnessed a bag of soil flying into the water tower and didn't warn anyone, which was overheard by Sir Topham Hatt. To say he was a little upset was a huge understatement and, as it turns out, it was Thomas who eventually took Bulgy back to the bus depot to be repaired.

But that was far from all the exciting news! Apparently, just a short while earlier, Gordon was finishing his last train when a bale of straw caught fire just under the bridge outside of the Killdane station. Due to some quick thinking and help from Maggie, Gordon was able to put the fire out using some of the water in his tender. The fire chief was so impressed that he was going to recommend Gordon for the Queen's Fire Service Medal! This was thrilling news since engines normally didn't get medals. Of course, Jim and Maggie were also going to be rewarded for their part.

Gordon, of course, was exaggerating the story as much as his crew let him, which wasn't much.

It was Alice who first saw the flash of light coming from Shaina's chest as the younger girl turned to leave. "Hey, whatcha got there?"

Shaina smiled and held up her whistle for Alice to see. Alice's eyes widened as she noticed the symbol in the whistle. Nearly every engine on the island had seen that symbol appear somewhere on them. And none of them knew where it came from. But here was something connecting the symbol to the girl that had appeared out of the blue.

Alice whispered her discovery to Ben, who later texted it to the other crews. Something about Shaina had literally made its mark on the railway. No one knew exactly what, but they were certainly going to watch her and find out.

* * *

After all the humans left, the engines talked about Shaina in hushed whispers.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about. She's just another silly little railfan," Gordon huffed, cross that the attention had been taken away from his own story.

"But, Gordon," Percy replied cheekily, "don't you like railfans? They take pictures of you and things…"

Gordon declined to comment.

Edward spoke up next. "She's obviously not used to engines like us. Henry, you remember how she reacted when she first saw you, right?"

"Of course! She seemed scared to death!"

"Guys?" Thomas interrupted, sounding thoughtful. "Do you think… she's one of _them_?"

A tense, excited silence fell over the shed as the engines processed what this could mean.

"I… I don't know," Edward finally spoke up, fighting back a smile. "We haven't seen one since… since just after Christopher stopped visiting."

The engines agreed. It had been far too long. The last time one came, they said things were very stormy and people were very upset about what others were doing.

"What does this mean?" Percy finally spoke up.

Edward sighed and looked down towards the mysterious house. "I don't know, Percy. I just don't know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Chapter 6! I gotta say, this is my longest chapter yet! For this one, I adapted two stories, as I wanted to showcase a bit more of a chaotic day on the North Western. Can anyone tell me which ones? You'll get a shout out at the start of the next chapter! Here's a hint: One of them is not from the TV show!
> 
> And, yeah, people are starting to pick up on how strange it is that Shaina showed up out of the blue. She's certainly making an impression, after all. Not that they're mad, though! Far from it! Seems like they're excited...
> 
> Anyways, what could happen next time? Well, no one knows what someone could find when they start to explore...


	8. Chapter 7: Lost Yet Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk in the woods leads to a discovery...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my awesome, awesome beta reader, The Broken Mask, who just published new fanfic recently! Go check out The Tale of the Halloween Engines on FanFiction.net and keep an eye out for when her engines appear!
> 
> Anyways, on with the show!

**_Chapter 7: Lost Yet Found_ **

Shaina was pretty darn sure that she was gonna get back at Ben. Somehow.

He had given her false directions to the walking trail on purpose. She knew it. Oh, he meant no harm, sure enough, but Alice warned that he had been itching to pull a prank for weeks. Shaina supposed she should have been expecting this...

At the moment, she had reached a more overgrown part of the island. Swinging her arms wildly, she tried to clear the branches that hung low in front of her face away and somewhat succeeding. She was seriously regretting not taking someone with her when she happened to stumble across some railroad tracks. Well, nearly tripped over them is a bit more accurate. However, these were overgrown with weeds, and the wood was rotting in places. If there was one thing she knew about this island, it was that following railroad tracks would either lead you to civilization or something really cool. And, thus, she followed them.

After a fairly short distance, the trees became thicker, as if they were trying to hide something. The rails had a thicker covering of weeds as well, and most of the wood underneath was all but gone. It was hard going, and Shaina had to walk on the rails for a little bit. But, once the trees and shrubs cleared, Shaina gasped.

There, in the middle of a clearing, was an old brick house.

From how it looked, Shaina could tell that it probably hadn't been lived in for a long time. It was at least three stories tall and had vines trailing up the walls. The rails Shaina had been following came up fairly close to the house. There was a large oak tree sitting to the right of the house, close to Shaina. From one thick branch, a handmade swing hung, twisting and moving in the slight breeze.

Shaina cautiously walked up to the porch and the front door. The porch had a blanket of leaves where they had piled up over who-knows-how-many autumns. There were two rusted metal chairs, separated by a side table. Both chairs were decorated with metal flowers and vines that spiraled around the legs and back. The table, with its glass top, was decorated in a similar fashion to the chairs.

But what intrigued Shaina the most was the front door. It was really two doors, not like the one door that most houses had, including her own. Both doors had stained glass in them, creating a beautiful mosaic in blues, reds, and greens. Carefully, she knocked. As she thought, no one answered. Still, she knocked again. Thinking that her knocking might not be loud enough, she called out. "Hello?" Still, there was no answer. Instead, she placed her hand on the doorknob. To her surprise, it wasn't locked. A voice in her mind warned her that this was probably a bad idea, but Shaina's curiosity had made up her mind. She walked inside and closed the door behind her.

Inside, the sun filtered dimly through the smudged and dirty windows. There was a thick layer of dust covering anything within sight. And what a sight it was! There was a grand entryway that led to what Shaina assumed was the living room. There was a large couch and two chairs at the corners of the couch. The couch faced a beautiful fireplace that looked as if someone had painted railroad tracks along it. Looking closer, she could see it was a basic map of the mainline, though a bit outdated. There was a dining room with a long fancy table, though a thick layer of dust had settled over it. It was set, like someone had been expecting guests. The kitchen was just through a pair of swinging doors. The fixtures were somewhat outdated, but they all looked very expensive for their time. The cupboards were well stocked, even though everything was long since expired.

There wasn't much else of note downstairs, so Shaina climbed up the grand staircase to the second floor. Here she saw three bedrooms. What she assumed was the master was fairly large, with a good-sized closet filled with moth-eaten clothes. The second biggest was also very nice, with pictures crowding the walls and dresser, though Shaina barely stopped to look at them. The third bedroom looked more like a guest room, as there were very few signs that it was ever really used. But, something that really caught Shaina's attention was the nursery. It was two rooms joined together. One was filled with toys and there was a small table with a counter nearby. The other didn't have as many toys and there was a trio of beds. In between the two, there was a very tiny bedroom where the nanny would stay. However, like the guest room, it didn't really seem as well lived in.

Finally, Shaina had gotten to the next flight of stairs. However, this set wasn't like the others. It was much thinner, and pictures of a young boy and some of the engines that she had met, as well as some that she hadn't, adorned the wall on her right. There was one picture that caught her eye. It was of the young boy, what looked to be his father, and Thomas; laughing and smiling to one another. Just then, she reached the top of the stairs.

In this loft-type area, someone had set up an office, with a few bookshelves along one wall and a desk pushed near a large window overlooking the tracks. Shaina started looking around. In the corner nearest the stairs, Shaina saw a large model train set that looked like an older version of the island. Many of the original engines were there as well. Looking at the walls, she could see framed pictures of various engines with golden nameplates that stated their name, class, and arrival date. On the opposite wall, she could see a map, albeit an older one. Looking closely, she could see a date in one corner of this map: 1992.

From there, she walked over to the bookshelves. In some of them, oddly enough, there weren't all that many books. Most of the space on these shelves was filled up with more pictures and various trinkets, such as a camera and models of famous trains in glass cases. However, most, if not all of the books that were there had yellowing pages. Some of them were simply pages sewn together! Shaina carefully slid one of the covered books out, looking at it. A handmade drawing of Edward, Henry, and Gordon greeted her. The title said proudly: The Three Railway Engines. Shaina carefully put the book back where it belonged and turned to the desk.

It was fairly simple, with drawers filled with paper, pencils, pens, and ink. But, sitting on top, was a thick leather-bound journal. It was closed by a leather strip that was attached to the book's spine. There was nothing too interesting about it, except for the initials W. V. A. imprinted into the leather.

Shaina stood still for a minute. She knew that she shouldn't open it. But, something in the very back of her mind pointed out that there could be some answers as to how and why she came here. So, she slowly began to unravel the leather strip from the book. Carefully, Shaina opened the cover and found the first entry. It read;

_April 14, 1944_

_Journal,_

_It seems that, overnight, I, along with my family, have traveled to an island. We were awakened by a whistle outside our door. And who should we find? Edward! He was very nice to us and offered to show us around the railway. Of course, Christopher was very excited about this. I agreed to it. We'll be heading out tomorrow. I only hope that we can get some sleep!_

_W_

Shaina stopped, her heart pounding in her ears. Reverend Wilbert Awdry, the creator of this island, had been through the same experience that she was currently going through. She turned the page, reading the next entry;

_April 15, 1944_

_Journal,_

_This morning, after breakfast, Edward showed up right outside our door. Christopher, Hilary, Veronica, and my dear wife got into a coach that had been coupled up to the engine, while the driver and fireman let me ride in the cab with them. It turns out that the stories I had told Christopher were fairly close to what really happened! We were able to see the sheds and meet Gordon. Henry was still bricked up in his tunnel, but I was able to go and see him. Of course, Christopher promised Edward that he would bring the model I made. Because tomorrow's Sunday, we will probably stay at home, then see the engines again afterward._

_W_

Shaina quickly closed the book, binding it up. She had read enough for now, even though her curiosity was screaming at her to read more. She carefully took a couple of steps back from the desk, glancing over her shoulder to see out the window. She could almost see Edward or Henry pulling up to say hello.

For a little while, Shaina lingered in the room, touching and studying. There was history here, the beginnings of something timeless. Eventually, she left, closing the door with respect. And she quietly promised herself to contact the person who owned this house. Somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Shaina's not the only one who's woken up in another world... Seems like these people are pretty important somehow. But...why is their house so abandoned?
> 
> I have to admit, this chapter has been in the works for ages. I had it written up for my first attempt at The Island and I kept it for the rewrite. I went into a lot of detail for the house, considering it hasn't been properly lived in since... The 1970s? The late 1990s? Somewhere around those times.
> 
> Anyways, what can we expect from the next chapter? Well, Shaina's going to get to spend some time with my favorite engine and there are stories to be told!

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Thomas the Tank Engine. I only own the plot and my OCs.  
> Updates may be sporadic due to Real Life and Writer's Block.


End file.
